School exclusions on the rise in Northumberland

More than 2 thousand kids were excluded from ONE school in Northumberland over the last year

The council have revealed the figures - showing over half the exclusions in the COUNTY last year - came just from Blyth Academy

Over the last three years, permanent exclusions across the county have increased by 203 per cent and fixed-term exclusions by 209 per cent, and this upward trend has continued from September with this academic year on course to hit 190 permanent exclusions.

Just 41 pupils were permanently removed in 2015-16 which rose to 75 in 2016-17 before jumping to 115 last year, at a cost to the council of almost £1.5million.

In terms of fixed-term exclusions, there were 1,280 in 2015-16, 1,967 in 2016-17 and then 4,514 in 2017-18 – equivalent to 13,500 pupil days.

Alarmingly, more than half (2,409) of last year’s fixed exclusions were at one school – Blyth Academy.

Dean Jackson, the council’s director of education, reported that he had spoken to the new headteacher at Blyth and been assured that the same thing wouldn’t happen again this year.

“This is one of absolute priorities now,” he told councillors. “We need to try to find our own solutions to this. Our headteachers are keen to work with us on this.

“If our secondary schools had more money, they could do more to help those very troubled children.”

"The rises in Northumberland mirror a national trend, as does the fact that exclusion rates are disproportionately high for disadvantaged pupils and for those with SEND (special educational needs or disabilities), but ‘the geography of the county makes this a particularly worrying issue’